Trapped
by TipandMalarkey
Summary: Sebastian has kidnapped Clary and Alec comes to the rescue, what will happen in their adventure to escape? They've never really been friends, but maybe this rescue mission will change things. Clarec (Maybe Clace?)
1. Chapter 1

Unfortunately I own no characters, all belong to Cassandra Clare

**Trapped**

I thrashed in the netting being held above the gaping hole beneath me. I had to get out. I had to get free. I saw a figure sauntering towards me in the darkness, and I hate to admit it, but I panicked. It was Sebastian, he was back again, to violate me and damage me once again. I cowered into the net, as anyone would do when they saw someone who did to them what he had done to me. Sebastian stepped out into the light and I let out a cry of relief when saw not my brother, but Alec. "Alec, Alec help me please, you have to get me out of here" I begged. My relief faded as Alec walked closer towards me. He was radiating power. Far more dangerous than Sebastian had ever been. His eyes looked menacing and they froze me on the spot. "Alec, Alec, stop! What's wrong with you? What are you doing!?" soon he was standing at the edge of the hole, a meter away from where I hung. He hooked a curved pole into the net and began to drag me toward him. This was all too familiar, and when he could grasp my netted prison in his hands I braced for the sharp pain of a needle in my leg…but it didn't come. Instead with one quick swipe with a seraph blade, I was cut down from the ropes. I landed on the floor with a thud and looked up in time to see Alec fire an arrow into the camera overlooking the hole, and now torn net. Alec pulled me up and started to drag me behind him "Come on Clary, we have to go!" I was confused at Alec's sudden change of character, but this one appeared to be trying to help me, so I let him drag me along.


	2. Chapter 2

Unfortunately weI own no characters, all belong to Cassandra Clare

**Chapter 2**

We sprinted through the twisting tunnels and corridors of the compound, I followed Alec at every turn unquestioningly. I trusted him, but I had a few questions to ask. How did he find me? Where was Jace? Was he really on my side? Or was he on Sebastian's? A Ravenor demon was up ahead, blocking the hall, with no way around. Strangely, Alec did not go for the traditional seraph blade, but instead threw what looked like a grenade. This was confirmed when Alec pushed me to the ground and lay on top of me to protect me from the blast. I turned my head to the side, looking at the flash of white light that consumed the demon and part of the corridor. "What is that?" I whispered, the pure light that engulfed the dank corridor dazzled my eyes.

"Heavenly fire" Alec breathed back and I suddenly became aware of what close proximity we were in. His hips pressed into my stomach as he used his body as a shield. I could hear his beating heart through the thin layer of his T-shirt, his even breathes warmed the top of my head. I gulped and tried to slow my quickening pulse, why did I react like this? It's _Alec_ for angel's sake, _I'm in love with his _parabatai, I thought,_ plus he's GAY, and most importantly, this is a fricking escape mission!_ I didn't have much time to dwell on it as all of a sudden the heat of Alec's body was gone and he yanked me to my feet to pull me along beside him. We had a problem. The heavenly fire had blown away a hole in the ground, and some parts of the wall were still crumbling. Easy enough to get down into, but not so much to get out the other side and back onto the path. _  
_

"Hang over the edge with by your arms and I'll lower you down" Alec said urgently, pushing me towards the edge. I climbed down as quickly as I could without slipping until I was hanging by just my hands. I felt Alec's strong hands grab my forearms and I released the edge of the remaining path. He held fast and lowered me down until I was only a couple feet above ground.

"You ready?" Alec asked.

"Do I have much of a choice?" I asked back. He let go. I landed easily, stepping back quickly to let Alec climb down. He came down quickly and effortlessly, I watched his muscles move in that- _no what, Clary, STOP! _I cried in my head, interrupting myself mid-thought. As soon as he reached the floor he ran to the other side, trying to find a way to climb back out.

"Alec wait a sec, where are we even going?" I asked. I knew that there was another endless tunnel to go down, and another and another. Alec shook his head and continued the search for a way up. "We don't have time for this Clary." he replied blankly, "We have to get out of here"

"Where even is here?" I had hoped that he'd have answers, but he just shook his head again, so I tried another question.

"How did you find me? How did you now I was here?" I gestured around the dark tunnel. Alec sighed, knowing that I would't stop questioning until I got my answers.

"You don't remember?" He asked me slowly. He continued before I could answer or ask another question. "How did you get here Clary?" He was trying to prompt my memories, but they were fuzzy and clouded with haze.

"I was on my way to Simon's house and someone hit me over the back of the head?" It came out like a question. "The next thing I knew, I was in that damn net" Alec looked uneasy now, he looked down at his hands, not able to look me in the eye.

"Clary...I was the one that brought you here"


	3. Chapter 3

Unfortunately we own no characters, all belong to Cassandra Clare

**Chapter 3**

"What do you mean you brought me here" I asked stunned. Alec sighed and turned to look at me.

"Look, I'll explain everything, but right now, we have to keep going," he pointed back towards the wall "it's tricky, but doable." He grasped my arm and tugged lightly but I snatched it back.

"No, Alec, _what_" I started moving away from him, pushing my back against the wall farthest away. Arms up, bent at the elbow, palms faced towards me was how he slowly approached.

'It's okay Clary, I'm on your side I promise. I'm here to help you' Alec said softly. He was a foot away from me when I squeezed my eyes shut and turned my head to the side as a lone tear made it's way down my cheek. I felt a finger brush my face and I let out an involuntary whimper as a few more tears trickled down my face.

"I don't understand" I whispered as I tried to disappear into the wall. In a moment of courage I turned my head and met the gaze of the boy I may or may not be able to trust. "What do you want with me Alec?"

"I want to help you, I want to get you out of here" Alec's voice was as gentle as a summer breeze, trying to lure me out of my fright. My breathing had slowed from it's rapid pace, and I relaxed slightly, no longer trying to make myself part of the wall.

"Clary," Alec started "I swear on the angel that I am on your side. I _swear_ that I will tell you everything, but I have to get you safe first okay?" His face was like a painting, I could see the pleading and honesty etched into his beautiful eyes.

"Okay" I agreed reluctantly. I followed him over to where he had indicated to earlier. I started the assent, hugging to the wall, and stepping exactly where I was instructed to. I finally made it to the top and hauled myself over the edge. Peering over the side I saw the raven black of Alec's hair as he made his way up. As he pulled himself up, a loud boom came from down the endless blank. Alec met my eyes and in silent agreement we ran.

* * *

The hoard of demons came pouring in from everywhere and nowhere all at once. They were hideous and screeched out a battle cry as they hurtled towards us. "Stay back!" Alec yelled, pushing me back behind himself before charging into the throng. He was like an angel warrior, envelloped in his own light of fury. Eyes ablaze with fiery hate. My eyes were glued to his body as he moved, I was in a daze for what was a minute but seemed like forever. Although the warrior he was was an amazing one, he was being over powered. An oni demon lashed out and caught him in the hip, causing one of his grenades to fall on to the floor. From what I could see, the pin had partially come out. _It's going to explode _I thought. Using my petite size to my advantadge, I slipped through the cirle of demons crowding around Alec untill I was at his side. The heavenly fire was starting to shine through. I scooped up the grenade and threw it into the air, away from me and Alec. I clawed at Alec and dragged him to the ground with me, I pulled him close and held on tight. The demons let out a shrill howl as they were attacked by the fire. A great crack surrounded them, and the walls began to crumble.

We scrambled back, away from the falling debris. _We're going the wrong way_. "Alec! Alec we have to go forward, we can't get stuck here."

"No" he said, shaking his head, "No, it's too dangerous." I knew there was no way to pursuade him to go, so I ran. I ran away from my saviour. I ran becasue I wanted to get out of that _damn_ compound. So I ran to where it was raining death. I heard Alec call out to me, but I didn't stop. I let him follow me. I dodged, ducked and rolled out the way. Then I was on the other side. A cry of pain reached my ears, and my heart sunk. My head whipped around and I saw Alec trapped under a fair size of rubble. I ran back to him, and tried to push of the debris, but it was too heavy.

"My stele" Alec croaked. I reached into his boot and pulled it out, I had no time to admire it - mine had been taken - and quickly etched a rune into the palm of my hand. Feeling the power surge within me, I forced the rubble off of Alec's back and dragged him to his feet. It was a wonder we hadn't both become buried. Alec hobbled as fast as he could, but I could see that he was in pain. We made it out of the storm of stone and Alec collapsed next to the wall. He ripped off his jacket and top and tossed them to the side. Mouth agape I stared at him. He...he had a better body than Jace. _Jace _I reminded myself _he is your boyfriend, he is the one that you love. _Alec looked back at me with curious eyes, breaking thorugh the pain.

"Clary" he said slowly. "I need you to draw an iratze on my back." He turned and my breath was taken from me yet again. I could see the musles in his back move as he winced in pain. I finally noticed the dammage on his shoulder blades, bruises had already started to apear. Gently tracing an iratze just below his neck, I watched the bruises slowly receede and fade away. I caressed my fingers over the now fading iratze and I thought I heard Alec's breath get caught in his throat at the sudden intimate touch.

"Well isn't this adorable, but I must say little sister, you moved on from golden boy pretty fast"


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I realised that I made a lot of spelling mistakes in the last chapter and I'm sorry about that, I hope that this chapter is better :) **

**greygirl2358 I hope you don't mind that we used your term :) (you'll know when you come across it) ~** TipandMalarkey

**Chapter 4**

Alec and I leapt up and moved backwards, away from the monster that was my brother. Alec pushed me behind him and threw his arms out to protect me further. Sebastian leisurely turned his attention to Alec, with mock sadness in his eyes and voice, he said, "And you, Alec, we were such good partners." He shook his, a small movement, as if clearing away the fake sorrow, for when he looked back up, he had his signature smirk on his face. If you saw this smirk, you would most likely think that he was just teasing. That he was a kind boy, that he was full of happiness and laughter. You would be wrong. And if you looked closer, you would see that the blonde boy was full of hatred and cruelty. That he had never felt true happiness or love.

I was momentarily frozen by fright at seeing Sebastian, but questions started flooding into my mind. _What did Sebastian mean him and Alec were good partners? What had they done? Has this got something to do with why Alec brought me here? Why didn't Alec stop him from rapping me? _And finally, _What would've happened if Sebastian hadn't shown up? _I banished that last thought instantly. Almost as if he could read my mind, Alec said quietly to me "I'll explain Clary. I swore I would and I will"

Sebastian burst out laughing, in a cynical kind of way. We both stared at him as if he was a madman, which, to be fair, he was in some ways. "Wait, let me get this straight. You are going to try and explain to Clary why you _kidnapped _her, and brought her to _me? _The person that she hates the most." I thought I saw a flash of hurt in his eyes but I must have imagined it. Sebastian wiped his dry cheeks, as if removing tears of laughter. "Well," He continued jauntily, "to bad you won't be able to" then he attacked.

* * *

Sebastian launched himself at Alec with inhuman speed. they both fell to the ground and Sebastian was pinning Alec down. "RUN!" My blue eyed rescuer shouted at me. But I was stuck in place as I watched my brother punch Alec in the throat and the face. "RUN CLARY" Alec yelled hoarsely at me once again. The hold on me shattered into pieces and I picked up one of Alec's discarded seraph blades - he had another as well as his bow, arrows and grenades - as well as his shirt and jacket. And I ran. Although I hadn't run far before I felt a pair of arms circle my legs and I went crashing to the floor and the seraph blade skittered out of reach.

"Trying to run away are we Clarissa?" Sebastian hissed through clenched teeth, "Remember what happened last time? I had to put you over that damn hole."

I whimpered as Sebastian's hand slithered up my thigh and groped my backside. I yelled out furiously and twisted in his now weaker grip so I was facing him. He quickly scrambled up my body so he was straddling my hips, so he could keep my legs under control while he held down my arms. I looked him right in the eyes and asked him with as much venom as I could, "Where is Alec?"

Sebastian had an agitated look on his face, as if he was bothered that I was questioning him about the boy that was nowhere in sight rather than focusing on him. He quickly masked this by giving me a sickly sweet smile. "Don't worry Clary" He whispered. "He won't be coming round disturbing us anytime soon...Oh look, there he is now." Sebastian snickered. A pack of demons slugged past, carrying a very pale Alec. His eyes were closed and his black hair stood out startlingly against his white face. I let out a choked sob as my eyes hunted the demons. Sebastian proceeded to feast his eyes on my body. The look of approval and slight admiration that glowed on his face made me sick to my stomach. I wanted to fight as my brother lowered his lips towards mine, but I couldn't. All I could do was turn my head to the side as silent tears rolled down my face. _Alec _I thought, _He's dead, he's dead. Because of me, all because of me. Because he tried to save me. _It was Alec who I thought of as Sebastian trailed kisses up and down my neck. I thought of Alec and I realised that I couldn't stop fighting. He would've expected me to keep going, would've wanted me to. I began to formulate a plan in my head. It was rash and not very well thought out, but it was worth a shot. Sebastian's hands had wondered up underneath my shirt and had started to pull down the straps on my bra when I set my plan into action. I turned my head to face him again, and pressed my lips against his neck. Laughter rumbled from within Sebastian.

"Glad to see that you've final-" he was cut off as I clamped my jaw around his neck. He let out a strangled - literally - cry as he wrenched himself back and away from me, clutching his damaged neck. I wasted no time in sweeping up my seraph blade and running for my life once again.

* * *

**Alec's POV**

The ground was shifting beneath me as I woke up groggily. What was happening? An earthquake? Then it hit me. The smell of demon odour was like a punch to the face and I did all that I could do keep from gagging. I didn't want _them_ to know that I was alive, let alone awake. Demons were carrying me, but where to? Sebastian must've though that I was dead, got his demons to dispose of me, then went after Clary. _Clary_. Did he get to her? What was I thinking of course he got to her. He wouldn't stop until he did. I had to help her, I couldn't leave her defenceless. She had one of my Seraph blades, but runes were her real talent.

I had to act fast, I didn't know how long I had been unconscious for. Raziel knows what that Bastard could've done to Clary by now. I counted down from 10 before leaping into action. Except I didn't get the chance. By the time I got to 7 I was flung away from the demons and down some sort of tube. The Shute. It was where Sebastian sent the dead to be incinerated. I groped the the sides looking for a hold. A foot away from the drop I managed to get a grip. It was a precarious trip back up, slipping and sliding the whole time. The thought of Clary helped me keep going. Her smile. Her hair. The way she laughed. And her eyes. Her shining emerald eyes. Full of life and joy before I put her in this hideous place. Plagued with worry when she saw me hurt. And covered with a sheen of fear as she regarded her brother.

At long last I make it to the top of the Shute and dragged myself out, tumbling to the floor. I lay on the floor for a few seconds before I hauled myself up and observed the area. Footsteps. I heard footsteps. I quickly scrambled up a nearby pillar and got into a position that I could shoot well in. A petite red headed girl ran frantically round the corner, and for a second, I was stunned. _She got away _I thought, _she actually got away. _I was about to call out to her when another figure whizzed around the corner too. _Sebastard. _I acknowledged, _we meet again. _I took aim and fired an arrow into his back, right where it would pierce his heart. He fell. I jumped down from my hiding place and jogged over to the now dead boy. I yanked the arrow out of Sebastian's back, then realised that he might stay dead longer if he still had the killing weapon in him. Some demons would find him soon enough and heal him. I was tempted to put him down the Shute, but Clary was still running and I had to find her. Leaving Sebastian's temporarily-dead body where is was, I ran into the never ending darkness.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N This chapter is about twice as long as the previous chapters, and we don't know if we're going to keep them like this or if they will go back to the original length. I guess we'll just have to wait and see :) (Also if you're a Clarec shipper, check out our other stories!) ~Tip**

**Chapter 5**

**Clary's POV**

I was remarkably calm considering I was running for my life.

_Dammit _I thought to myself as I sprinted full pelt down the winding hallways. _He's catching up again. _Sebastian's speed had faltered slightly when he chased me around the corner, but had seemingly picked up. His footsteps were heavier than before though. Was he tired? No he couldn't be, he was too powerful. It was a wonder that he hadn't caught me already. I was running close to the walls, hiding myself in as much shadow as I could. _  
_

_This will never work, _I cried helplessly to myself. _I don't know the way out of this God-damned place, and if I did I can't outrun Sebastian anyway. But it's not like I can fight him_ _either_. I could see a fork in the corridor up ahead, maybe I could delay him for a moment? It'll take him at least a couple seconds to figure out which way I had gone. That is, if I could get further ahead. I ran harder than I ever had before, pumping my legs to the point that they barely touched the ground. I had been staying in the shadows of the left, but I risked being seen and darted across the hallway and began to run down the right-hand pathway.

"Clary!" A voice yelled at me. For a split second I froze. _He's meant to be dead._ But I knew that voice. It was full of a desperation that I had never heard before, but it was still the same voice. _Maybe, just maybe, it's actually him. _I didn't dare call back, in case it was a trick, but I crouched down behind a large toppled pillar. A couple of seconds later Alec came sprinting into view, and carried on past my hiding place. I jumped out from behind the pillar and screamed his name He whipped around and sprinted back to me. I threw my arms around him and held him tight, never wanting to let him go.

"I thought you were dead" I sobbed. He tightened his arms around my waist and touched his forehead to mine.

"_Never_" He whispered. "I would _never _leave you in a place like this" Despite the fact that Alec would never leave anyone behind, his words made my cheeks heat up and my stomach flop. I also became aware of the fact that he was still shirtless. I pulled away from him and handed him his shirt and jacket that I had been clutching onto since I first ran from Sebastian.

"So, how do we get out of here?" I asked as Alec pulled them on. He nodded back to the fork behind us.

"We have to go down the left wing, not this one." He explained. He touched my shoulder than began to jog to the split in the hallway, knowing that I would follow him.

* * *

To me, all the corridors had looked the same. A rounded tunnel built from varying shades of sand coloured bricks. An old fashioned arched door every 20 metres or so, and pillars, standing or not, after every five doors. But I guess Alec had made it a mission to remember which tunnel led where. Easier for when the moment to break out came I guess. "Alec, where are we going?" I questioned. This was the second flight of stairs we had gone up - usually it was easier to escape on ground level.

"Well we can't exit through the front of the building, the back entrance is too obvious and the side entrances are where the demons come in and out of." Alec told me, eyes sweeping the empty space before us.

I stared at the boy before me incredulously. "So what? We're going to throw ourselves out a third story window?"

"Second" Alec corrected. "We were underground at first" _Of course we were _I chastised myself _Did you see any windows? No. Did you when you went up the stairs? Yes. _

"Sebastian wouldn't let me have a room close to a tree," Alec continued, "but I know where there's one that we can get to easily." Alec veered towards a door - no different from any of the other doors so I don't know how he knew it was the right one - unlatched the old fashioned handle and swung the door open, making sure I was behind him. He took several cautious steps into the room, then beckoned me to follow just as he was swallowed by darkness.

* * *

**Alec's POV**

My room was dark and I could feel Clary reach out blindly and grabbed the back of my torn jacket. The door shut with a clang and I winced at the loud noise, wondering who - _what _- might have heard it. I felt Clary cringe and heard an apology rise to her lips, but I shushed her and moved stealthily to the window. I carved a silence rune into the frame of the and pushed it open. Thankfully it was a type of window that swung open on its side, providing an easy exit. I then made my way to the built in closet and hauled out two backpacks full of provisions and a tent. It was a small tent and Clary and I would probably have to huddle for warmth during the night...but I didn't think of that now.

I tossed the smaller bag to the girl stood frozen in the middle of the room. She caught it with one hand then let it drop to her side, her eyes were glassy as she stared out the window. I hurried over to her and looked into her blank eyes. "What is it Clary, what's wrong?" I asked her softly, but my voice was haunted with worry. Clary's gaze shifted slightly. She was looking _at _me now, instead of _through_ me.

"I just-I can't believe I'm actually getting out of here." Her voice broke as she said the words, and I took her face between my hands, "That I'm going to be _free"_ I smiled at her and pulled her into my arms. I couldn't imagine what she had gone through during her time here. And I couldn't help her. I couldn't save her. I had to find out what Sebastian was planning, that was my job. Only then was I allowed to get her out of this hellish place. After a few second I broke the hug and pulled out my stele. She held out her arms and I drew runes of silence, agility, speed and stealth. She noticed that there was no more room and took off her top, leaving her stood in a barely there vest top. I blushed slightly, after all, I hadn't seen a girl in just a vest before apart from Izzy, and she was my sister. On her back I traced runes for stamina, fortitude and her very own fearless rune. She pulled her top back on, hoisted her bag onto her shoulders and followed me to the open window.

"C'mon, follow me" I said as I slipped out of the window, landing on the slanted roof beneath. Clary perched on the edge of the sill. I offered my hand to her but she brushed it away with a smirk and pushed off, landing gracefully beside me. I moved across the roof soundlessly, keeping close to the surface as I made my way across the wide expanse until we were at the place where the trees were closest to the house. To reach the part of branch that was sturdy enough to hold my weight I would have to jump pretty far. Clary was quite lucky, she only had to jump a couple feet.

I launched myself off the roof and hooked my hands around the tree branch. I swung myself up with ease and scooted closer to the trunk. I felt the tree wobble beneath me slightly and turned to see Clary hooking her leg over the branch to swing herself up. Using another branch just above me I pulled myself into a standing position and started the descent.

I was surveying the woods around me for any threats when Clary touched my arm. I was surprised at her sudden appearance - I didn't expect her to get down so fast - but i didn't show it. Instead, I grabbed her hand and pulled her into the night.

* * *

**Clary's POV**

I let Alec drag me through the darkness, tugging me in random directions, pausing behind trees, then sprinting a couple of metres. It felt as if we had been travelling for half a day, but that was only because of the tension in the air around us. In reality we had been moving for an hour or two.

"Alec?" I asked quietly. "What's the date?" I had been in that wretched building for so long. Or at least, it seemed like so long. I hadn't been near any windows until Alec came to my rescue, nor had I seen a clock. The hours had merged together, and for all I know, I could've been in there for 3 weeks or 3 months.

Not taking his mind off the task he responded, "Presuming it's after midnight..." he turned to face me, a small smirk dressing his lips, he continued, "Happy Valentine's day, Clary." _Valentines day? _I froze at his words. _Four months._ Four _whole _months I had been in that place.

And now I was free.

I felt a laugh bubble to my lips, and once I started I couldn't stop. I was hysterical. My laughter rang clear and loud, Alec looked at me like I was mad. And I had every right to be. For _four m__onths _I was locked up in that place with my demon brother. For _four __months _he rapped me whenever he pleased. _Four__ months _until Alec broke me out. I had every god damned right to be hysterical.

I felt a pang from within me. My nose began to itch and tears came streaming out of my eyes. In the blink of an eye I had gone from laughing hysterically to crying hysterically. And I couldn't stop. _Four__ months _of my life had been stolen away from me. I hadn't seen my mother or Luke. I hadn't seen Magnus or Izzy, Maia or Jordan. I hadn't seen Simon. I hadn't seen _Jace_ for four months. They hadn't come to rescue me. They probably thought I was dead. But finally my saviour had come. He caught me just as my knees gave out and hugged me close to him. As I sobbed into Alec's chest he stroked my hair and hushed me.

He held me slightly away from him, so that he could see my face as he said, "Clary. Clary listen. I know it's a lot to take in, but-"

"How could you!?" I screamed at him "How could you possibly know?" He covered my mouth with his hand and continued with what he had been saying.

"You have to keep yourself together okay? We can't stop, not yet. Sebastian could still come and find us. We have to _go"_ He wiped the tears from my red cheeks and searched my eyes. Then he wound one of his arms around my waist and supported me as we stumbled through the trees. When he looked into my eyes, he was hunting for something. The sign of an irreparable brake.

And I think he found it.

* * *

We walked, jogged and sprinted for two more hours before Alec decided that we should rest. He set up the small tent in under a minute, set up a small ward, then tossed both of our bags through the entrance. "We can sleep for five hours, then we have to move again." I nodded and shivered, the adrenaline in my system had been keeping me warm, but now that it was gone I could feel cold seep into my bones and pinch my cheeks. I crawled into the small space of the tent and unravelled a sleeping bag that I found in my pack. It was massive, it could easily fit two people...

Alec was blushing slightly when I looked over at him. "Um, I'm really sorry Clary. But, I...uh" He stammered stood up straight and cleared his throat before continuing. "I had to do what was most practical, which was to get a sleeping bag that we could both use to share body heat." I just kept looking at him, so he slumped his shoulders and rubbed the back of his neck. "It was the most logical thing Clary" He explained. I nodded silently. _It doesn't matter _I thought, _He's your boyfriends _parabatai. _P__lus, he has Magnus. _Thinking this didn't stop butterflies from whirring in my stomach. "I'll wait here while you change" Alec added, turning so his back faced me.

I pulled out an oversized dark grey jumper and pair of black leggings. I stripped off and put them on hurriedly. Only when I was pulling the jumper down over my face did I realise that it smelt of sandalwood. It smelt of _him_. I'd begun to associate safety with Alec. But how safe could he really be if he brought me here? I stepped out of the tent to allow him privacy while he got changed. Only a few seconds had passed when he called me back inside. I nearly left again.

Alec was sat on the floor, just pulling on a jumper similar to mine except in black. But I had seen his chest and stomach before they were covered up. I felt my cheeks rise in temperature so I ducked my head to hide my face as I zipped up the door. I sat down on the opposite side of the tent and we looked awkwardly down at the sleeping bag that we were meant to be sharing.

"I...I could not sleep in it if you wanted?" Alec asked nervously. My head shot up at the suggestion. Was he mental? He would freeze to death.

"No. No I couldn't let you do that." I stated, closing the discussion. "Um, okay. I'm smaller so you get in first" Alec clambered into the sleeping bag and lay on his back waiting for me to get in as well. I climbed in, trying not to touch Alec too much. Every time we came into contact I would feel a slight buzz on my skin. I lay on my back as Alec did. Our arms were pressed together, as were our thighs. I shifted uncomfortably then turned on my side, so I was facing away from the boy that lied next to me.

"Alec?"

"Yes?"

"You still haven't told me." I whispered. He sighed and I felt him sit up, so I quickly did the same.

"You may not like what you hear" Alec warned, eyeing me cautiously. I simply nodded, and gestured for him to continue. "The Clave decided that we had to infiltrate Sebastian's lair. We had to get someone on the inside. The most obvious choice would be for someone who knew what he was capable of. Jace was the one who knew him most, also the one who would have the best chance in fighting him. But considering their history, it was a definite no. Not Izzy, because she's a girl" He chuckled softly to himself. "She was furious about that. Not Simon because he wasn't trained. Not you because he would never believe you." He paused, "So that left me."

"I contacted him and told him that I wanted to be on his side, that he was going to win and I wanted to aid him. He didn't believe me at first, which of course he wouldn't. Then he set a term. One that couldn't be compromised. It had to be this or nothing." He took a deep breath as he looked me straight in the eye. "I had to bring him you"

* * *

**Alec's POV**

"You have to understa-" I shook my head, "What am I saying? of course you don't have to understand. For me to get him to trust me I had to bring him you. Everyone argued against it. But the Clave decided that one life of a Shadowhunter - even one as powerful as you - was worth sacrificing to save hundreds." I looked at the wide eyed girl before me and carried on with the story, wanting to get it out as soon as possible. "So I 'kidnapped' you and took you to him. He took me in and he trusted me. I had to act like him. I had to go along with everything he said. It was awful." I let out a bitter laugh, "Of course, it was much worse for you... I never thought that he would rape you Clary, I never thought that he would do something like that to you..." My voice trembled and I cleared my throat so I could say the last words. "I understand if you never forgive me. When we get back, I completely understand if you never speak to me again. I will stay away from you." I hung my head with shame, but glanced back up as she began to talk.

"I understand" She said bluntly.

I looked at her in shock. "What?"

"I understand." She repeated, "You did what you had to do to help the Shadowhunter community. I'm not going to be angry at you for doing the right thing."

I stared at her open mouthed. How could she be so casual about this? "The right thing? Clary, I _betrayed _you. I gave you to _Sebastian. _And he did all those things to you. How could you ever forgive me?"

"Well I do" She said "Alexander Gideon Lightwood, I forgive you."

I looked at her curiously and saw a small twitch at the side of her mouth, curving into a slight smile, but I could still see the hurt in her eyes. "Clarissa Fairchild. I do believe you're mocking me" She just smiled gently and snuggled back into the bag. I shuffled down as well, and facing opposite ways, we fell asleep.

* * *

I could feel something stirring beside me, I rolled over and realised that it was Clary shivering violently. I hesitated for a couple moments before slipping my arm over her stomach and pulling her against my chest. She was freezing and I couldn't exactly let her die now could I? In her sleep she pressed her cold toes to my shins and gradually she stopped shaking. When her breathing pace had returned to normal, I fell asleep with her wrapped in my arms.

* * *

**Clary's POV**

Cold. I was so cold. I heard Alec shift, and I was annoyed at the fact that he could sleep so easily. Suddenly I felt an arm slip around my waist as Alec pulled me against him. I had gasped slightly in surprise, but the noise was lost in the chatter of my teeth. I could feel every inch of Alec's warm body that touched mine and it sent warm shivers down my spine. I pressed my freezing feet against his legs and settled into his embrace. _Happy Valentine's Day, Alec, _was my last thought as sleep pulled me into its grasp.


End file.
